The subject of the present invention is a method of personalizing portable media such as cards.
The state of the art in cards having magnetic tracks and, now, having electronic microcircuits (microprocessor and memory) as well, necessitates automated manufacture in order to meet the needs of a large public market.
In general, one must distinguish between at least two preliminary stages in putting a card into circulation, the manufacturing stage and the personalizing stage.
The first stage, which is performed by the manufacturer, comprises equipping the cards with electronic microcircuits, for example a microprocessor and a programmable memory, and perhaps with one or more magnetic tracks.
The second stage is generally done by an authorized issuing organization, which purchases the cards that have been so manufactured and distributes them to future users. Prior to this distribution, these organizations perform personalizing operations, which comprise writing data into the card to identify the issuing entity and the future user of the card, on the one hand, and fixing the conditions and limitations of usage of the card, on the other.
These personalizing data are written into the memory of the electronic microcircuits of the card, by stamping onto the card, and perhaps onto the magnetic tracks.